Frigid Fear Revealed
by sapphire316
Summary: Ice skating. It had to be ice skating. On a frozen lake, no less. And if that wasn't enough, it was the very same lake Jack Frost had drowned in.


**Ok, yeah, slightly random one shot that I got the idea for a little while ago. Not really much else to say about it at the moment except for the fact that it takes place before Jack shows the other Guardians his memories, so just enjoy! **

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Ice skating. It had to be ice skating. On a frozen lake no less. And as if that wasn't enough, it was the very same lake Jack Frost had drowned in. The winter spirit in question stared down at the frigid surface and gulped. North had told the Guardians that they needed to spend more time together, like a family. At first, Jack hadn't minded this, but when he found out that they were going skating on his lake, his opinion completely changed.

North had figured that since Jack always seemed to hang around that lake, it must be special to him. Not knowing the true meaning it held to the boy, he made sure to make it the first stop on the "Guardian Journey to Familyhood", as he called it. North had thought their newest member would appreciate this, but he was wrong.

Obviously, it wasn't the ice Jack minded. It was the water beneath it. Ever since he had seen his memories, the boy had developed a new fear of drowning. It easily overpowered his former greatest fear of never being believed in, mostly because he now had believers. Sure, he was still afraid of being left alone again, but only at times when it was relevant. So right at this moment, the icy depths terrified the spirit of winter more than anything else.

"North..." he said slowly. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" North turned confusedly at Jack's voice, giving him a strange look. What could be so bad about ice skating? The boy was a winter spirit!

It was Bunny who answered for North. "What the heck are ya talking about? We're doing this for you!"

"No, no, it's not like that," Jack said quickly. "I'm just saying, what if..." He paused, seemingly trying to decide whether or not he should say his next thoughts out loud. Finally, he made his choice and spoke. "What if one of us falls in?"

If the other Guardians hadn't been giving the boy strange looks before, they definitely were now. Why would Jack, of all people, be worried about something as simple as ice skating? It just didn't make any sense.

North stepped slightly towards the icy teen. "Jack, I do not think one of us would fall in lake. If we come across thin ice (Jack visibly winced at this), you can just refreeze it, yes?"

Jack seemed to contemplate this idea for a while. "Well, yeah, but..." He once again hesitated, unsure of how to word this. "What if I was too late?"

"Jack," said Tooth, concerned. "Is there something you aren't telling us?"

Jack's face instantly gained a light blue coloring that the Guardians assumed was him blushing. "I-uh..." he stuttered. "N-nope, what do you mean, th-there's nothing I'm not telling you guys! I'm just, uh..." Before he could come up with an excuse for his odd behavior, the boy felt something pull on his hoodie sleeve. Upon looking down, he saw Sandy standing next to him, frowning. A question mark appeared over the little golden man's head. Jack signed, knowing he couldn't get out of this. "Fine." he said. "I'll tell you." The winter spirit took a deep breath and said, very quickly, "OkI'mafraidofwaternowareyouhappy?"

The Guardians stared at him. "...what?" asked Bunny. Jack sighed, knowing full well that none of them understood what he had just said.

"I said...well, I don't really like water, ok?"

"You're afraid of water?" asked Bunny incredulously. "That's what this is all about?"

"Did I say afraid?" Jack asked, a bit of blue blush creeping back onto his pale face.

"Jack, you don't have to hide it." Tooth cut in. "Everyone's afraid of something, there's no need to be ashamed."

"But why water?" Bunny interrupted.

"Really Bunny?" Tooth deadpanned.

"What? I'm just wondering." He then turned to Jack. "Look mate, no offense, but if ya ask me, a winter spirit like yourself should have no reason to be afraid of water."

Jack frowned. "Well...let's just say, someone I knew drowned a long time ago, and ever since then, I've kinda been afraid it would happen to me." He wouldn't tell them the full truth. Not yet. There was still some trust that needed to be built up between the boy and the others before he could even bring that up. Although he hated to admit it, three hundred years alone had built up walls around Jack, and he couldn't break them easily.

"Jack, no one is going to drown in this lake." North assured him.

"Little late for that." Jack muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Anyway, as I was saying, you don't need to worry about that, we will be fine. And just for reassurance, you can give this lake another layer of ice." said North.

Jack smiled. He gripped his staff and ran across the surface of the lake, making sure it was thoroughly frozen. While doing this, he thought about the other Guardians' reactions to his fear. They hadn't ridiculed him, instead they had understood and been kind to him. Well, maybe Bunny's response wasn't exactly kindness, but it was better than nothing. Finally, people were giving Jack positive attention instead of yelling at him or ignoring him all together. Who knows? Maybe this whole family thing could end up working after all.

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**Yayz family type Guardians! I love it when they act like a family. So, yeah, that's all I have to say, so as usual, please review, and don't make your cow jump over the moon! Manny doesn't really appreciate that. Sapphire316, out.**


End file.
